Months after Ralo was granted bond in his ongoing marijuana trafficking case, a federal judge made a stunning decision to revoke the order, thereby keeping the Atlanta rapper in jail until his case is resolved.
The Thursday order by U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown says that prosecutors presented ample evidence that Ralo continued to arrange drug deals while he was incarcerated. Prosecutors alleged that Ralo was using code words to discuss drug prices and that he was caught with a contraband Apple Watch in his jail cell in April 2019, court records show.
On top of that, the court has scheduled a change of plea hearing for Ralo on Jan. 6, an indication that he plans to accept a plea deal in his case. Ralo is facing federal charges of using a private jet to arrange a $1 million marijuana deal.
Brown wrote in his order that prosecutors, “presented evidence that (Ralo) had continued participating in the distribution of drugs following his arrest in this case and while in custody.” Specifically, prosecutors presented handwritten notes allegedly found in the purse of the mother of Ralo’s children to “save up every dollar you receive from grandma” and “keep count of all the kids at dad house an (sic) grandma house so you can know how much you got at all times.”
“This appears to have been a reference to drugs rather than children because below that statement the author (presumably [Ralo]) warned her to ‘try to do all these things on other phones or in person. The feds is watching an (sic) listening to everything,” Brown wrote.
Another set of documents allegedly had prices for ounces of “food” and a reminder that “every ounce is 28 grams,” the judge’s order says.
“Those documents demonstrate Defendant Davis’s efforts to continue distributing narcotics after his arrest in this case,” Brown wrote. “There simply can be no other conclusion from his efforts to establish pricing and distribution for ‘eight balls’ and ‘grams,’ his instruction against the use of ‘shake,’ and his warning to be wary of law enforcement ‘listening.’”
For months, Ralo has been trying to gain release from jail. He was finally granted bond back in July, but prosecutors immediately appealed the motion to Brown. The appeal hearing was put off several times before Brown finally ruled on it Thursday.
The marijuana distribution charges stem in part from a federal law enforcement seizure of 500 pounds of marijuana from a chartered plane registered to Davis in December 2017, according to court records. The next day, Ralo posted on Instagram, “I’ve lost more than an (sic) man have gained in a lifetime . . . Have you ever lost ah million dollars at one time???” The post appeared to correspond with the estimated value of the seized marijuana, prosecutors wrote in court records.
